2 Thessalonians 1:3 – We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

Gratitude Day 902

If you live anywhere near rural American, there’s a pretty good chance that you have seen the beginning fall harvest.

While Hubby Rick is officially retired, most days, he doesn’t feel very retired. His truck driving skills are often in high demand. It’s not uncommon for him to drive multiple trucks, for various employers, hauling different products, throughout the week. Some days, he drives truck for two different companies. He has discovered the joy of being in demand.

The last several weeks, he’s been helping chop hay and corn silage; food bed to cattle for either milk or meat. One night this week, he arrived at our granddaughter’s volleyball game just as they were starting the third game. He told me that bouncing through the fields had caught up with his back. He was ready for a day out of the truck.

But before the harvest can happen, the process begins many months earlier when the seed is planted into the ground. With a little rain, some sun and enough heat to help the seed sprout, soon, leaves are peaking through the ground. In the spring, Hubby Rick and I survey the newly planted fields as we drives; picking out what types of seeds are sprouting up, ready to tell with just a couple leaves above ground.

All summer long, the plants continue to grow and get bigger. Then, they begin to bloom and create their own seed. None of this would happen without the assistance of rain, warm weather and sunshine. Each summer, we are amazed when a shower arrives at “just the right time” in the plant’s growth period.

Sometimes, the rain is too much. Or there is hail. More than one summer, the excessive heat and lack of rain prevented bumper crops. An ill-timed storm or too long of time between rains can significantly affect yield.

Then, this is the time of the year when the results happen! The final cutting of hay is harvested. The beans and corn go through a combine or a chopper and become useable feed. The plants and seeds are carefully monitored so they are harvested at the optimum time.

This whole process? It’s an amazing miracle! A wonder that happens year after year while yields results that feeds the world. Every year when those seeds go in the ground, I know there are many farmers who pray while tiling them, praying the results will be able to sustain their family for another year.

In fact, farmers are one of profession that relies significantly on trust. Faith. Turning over your work and hoping there will be a result in the fall.

When this whole process happens, it is nothing short of amazing!

As believers, we too are in the practice of planting seeds. Watering them, watching them grown and praying there is a harvest someday. There are plenty of distractions and challenges along the way. Sometimes, it would be easier to give up. But when that tiny bit of harvest happens? WOW! It is nothing short of AMAZING.

If you feel a little dry in your faith right now, it’s OK. Pray for rain to come and some day I hope you discover something that you did that made a different in another person’s spiritual journey. If the weeds feel like they are potentially choking you, get rid of them. Keep your energy to put into the best harvest possible and not things that distract you.

And yes, sometimes, we need time out of the truck. We need self-care and sabbaths and time away to step away from the craziness of life and reconnect with the One who created, redeemed and sustains you.

When you see a combine or a chopper or some other piece of agricultural equipment going through the field this fall, be thankful for the harvest. When you get stuck behind a huge piece of ag equipment doing down the road, appreciate all the food this equipment is helping harvest. Recall the hours of hard work, prayer, faith and hope that those tiny little seeds planted in the spring would amount to SOMETHING.

And be inspired that YOUR spiritual journey is really not that different from planting seeds, nurturing them and watching them grow. It’s a thing of beauty to watch happen. It’s even more breath-taking to see when and how God has journeyed through this life with you.

When life feels tough, think of those little seeds in the ground, praying that somehow, they will get just what they need to produce a wonderful harvest.

When are you in your planting/growing/harvesting cycle? Are you doing the things that will hep the journey along? Or do you feel stuck in the mud? Keep looking towards the One who can help you the most. And be AMAZED by your journey. You only get this opportunity once. I pray we all carefully tend to the growing gardens of life. Enlisting help at just the right now. And planning for a wonderful harvest.

For the harvest that happens each fall, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Loving God – As we observe the harvest this time of the year, may I  be inspired to reflect upon my own seeds of faith and how they are working towards a harvest. Help me appreciate the journey. Timing is such an important part of this process. Help me be patient. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith) or on Instagram (diannedeatonvielhuber.)

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